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Birmingham Dogs Home receives funding boost
Birmingham Dogs Home cares for around 2,000 homeless dogs each year.

Charity welcomes £50,000 donation towards new vet clinic.

Birmingham Dogs Home (BHD) has received £50,000 from Animal Friends Insurance to put towards a new on-site veterinary clinic.

The charity, which cares for around 2,000 homeless dogs each year, will use the money to remodel a section of its existing building to include an X-ray room, two wards, and a separate entrance for sick and injured dogs.

It means that BDH will be able to provide emergency procedures and immediate pain relief to its residents, as well as drastically reduce its annual veterinary bill.

“Animal Friends is a fabulous organisation with fabulous people and we are delighted that they share our vision to provide the very best level of medical care possible for abandoned and neglected dogs, commented Giles Webber, chief executive of Birmingham Dogs Home. “Their support will make a real difference to the lives and futures of rescue dogs in our community for years to come.”

Established in 1892, Birmingham Dogs Home aims to ‘Rescue, Reunite and Rehome’ dogs from across the West Midlands and the South Staffordshire area. 

Last year, the charity had to spend more than £230,000 of supporter donations on veterinary care. It has an annual bill of around £30,000 for X-rays alone, which cost approximately £300 per procedure at a commercial veterinary practice.

By investing in its facilities, BDH hopes to see these costs fall by as much as 70 per cent. Other planned facilities at the new clinic include three consultation rooms, a dental room, and an isolation room. 

“Our donation will not only pay for a dedicated X-ray room and equipment which will be at the heart of the new veterinary clinic, but it will also help empower the charity to drastically enhance how it operates and the number of dogs it can help, saving tens of thousands of pounds every year in the process,” said Westley Pearson, chief executive officer at Animal Friends.

“The new facilities will enable an immediate diagnosis for dogs with multiple, complex medical conditions that come into the charity’s care. This will mean dogs can receive immediate treatment and will recover more quickly, leading to them spending less time in the kennels, before finding their forever homes.”

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.